Tag: travel

It’s been a couple of months since my husband, and I flew anywhere substantial. A few weeks ago, we were discussing possible things to do on Labor Day Weekend. I always wanted to run the 18.12 Challenge Race. My husband was not as keen on spending over 14 hours, driving to a race and coming back. I guess I can’t blame them.

He asked if I wanted to private fly. I’ve never private flown to a destination with a time limit. We’ve flown around the state and Northeast on our own time, but we’ve never flown somewhere to do something. I didn’t know how my body would handle flying the day before a race. Private flying is loud, bumpy, and you get sick a lot easier. But it sounded like a fun adventure.

What most people don’t realize is Private Flying, and Air Force Flying is entirely different. Just because you are an Air Force Pilot, does not automatically make you qualified to fly private planes (and just because you fly Private Planes does not make you qualified to fly Air Force Planes.) They are similar but separate entities. You must have different certifications for both. My husband has both and instructs and teaches people how to private fly. So if you, random internet person with no flying experience wanted to learn to private fly, he could teach you. He likes to fly, and it’s become a hobby of his. Anyway, I get a lot of questions about that, so I thought I would answer.

We also rent airplanes (We don’t own any LOL). First, we can’t afford to buy an airplane. Second, my husband prefers to fly a few different types of planes.

A Few Fun Things About this Flight:

My first cross country flight (260 miles/2:15 minutes)

During the flight to Watertown, we faced headwinds and flew to 8000 feet.

During the flight to South Jersey, the cloud layer made us fly lower at about 5500 feet.

Here are a few photos from our flight up to Watertown:

landing in WatertownClose to clouds

Looking Down at the Steel Stacks in Bethlehem, PADelaware riverDelaware River and view of PhiladelphiaLooking down at Top Golf in Mount Laurel, NJ

Last week of training was fun. How can it not be when you are traveling? My husband and I decided to take a mini trip out to Colorado. Since we were in town, we thought we would do the Mt. Sneffels Half Marathon. I had no goals other than finish the half marathon and spoiler I did just that.

Thoughts:

What a week, my runs, for the most part, went well. My weekly mileage has been good, and I’m happy to get the running distance in. I was bummed I didn’t have the time to swim, but with travel, cross-training didn’t work out. I’ve mentioned before, but swimming will always be there, and I’m not competing in swimming, so there isn’t a point to make myself miserable to get to the pool.

Workout Wednesday: 4X1 mile

I got to run with my fast friend, Skip. Originally we had planned the track, but it was completely occupied, and there was no way to get on. We decided to head to a local paved path which worked out well, and I had my best workout in a long time.

Since Big Cottonwood Marathon is a downhill race, the race says “a speedy downhill slope,” I opted for 6 miles in the afternoon on the treadmill. I set my treadmill on a decline and run for an hour to get my quads adjusted to that. After running Phoenix and not being prepared appropriately, I asked for training tips for Big Cottonwood. Runnin downhill should have been a no brainer, but I’m glad someone suggested it.

Mt. Sneffels Half Marathon 1:33.58:

I’ll have a full recap this week, but I had no plans for the Mt. Sneffels Half Marathon other than to run smart. I took out the race very easy (for a race), and my first mile was 7:37. I didn’t know how I would feel. Looking back, I probably could have taken it out faster, but I haven’t done a road half marathon at altitude (I raced the trail Copper Mountain 25k last year).

The race itself is mostly on gravel, and it was one of the most beautiful races I’ve ever run. It’s a remarkably beautiful road race, and I would recommend it to anyone. I was able to negative split the race. Around mile 10.5 was the hardest hill I’ve ever climbed. It was a steep 300-foot climb in about a quarter of a mile. I found myself extremely winded for the rest of mile 10 and 11. I’m happy with the race, and afterward, I ran an extra 7 miles to get in 20 miles. I wouldn’t have done that, but that’s marathon training for you. For Big Cottonwood Marathon, all of my 20 milers will be on race day, and I appreciate that (but it does not make it any easier when it’s time to run after the race).

A post shared by Hollie (@fueledbylolz) on Aug 17, 2019 at 12:21pm PDT

In all, I’m happy with the week of training. It’s hard to believe the Big Cottonwood Marathon is less than a month away. My goal has always been to get to Salt Lake City and the start line healthy. My marathon training plan has been just to stay healthy and run smart. I’m running enough miles per week to feel prepared without being overcooked when it’s time to run 26.2 miles.

Like this:

Last week was a good training week. I had a good workout and a solid race at the Air Force Half Marathon for the conditions given. New Jersey was hot again last year, and it’s been hard to crave anything pumpkin when it’s also 90 degrees outside. That being said, you can’t control the weather and only adjust.

Monday:

6.5 miles easy with Alana (8:32 pace)

Tuesday:

Easy 60 minutes

Wednesday:

3X1 mile with 1 mile jog in between (total miles 10)

Thursday:

Rest

Friday:

Easy 60 minutes

Saturday:

Air Force Half Marathon 13.1 (1:31.12)

Sunday:

Easy 60 minutes

Total:

49.1

Thoughts:

My easy runs were easy, as usual. On Monday, I ran with a friend, Alana, who was in town. She has run under 3 hours in the marathon and is a bit faster than me. I didn’t charge my watch, but she said we ran 6.5 miles at 8:32 pace. It was faster than I would typically do an easy run alone, and I enjoyed catching up.

The weather on Wednesday was hot, and the humidity was 100%. With weather that hot, and humid, I wanted to stay local and close to water. I did mile repeats, with a mile jog around a nice loop.

Before the workout started, I had written it off that it would be “bad.” Once I actually got into it, the weather wasn’t too terrible, and I was able to do what I wanted.

Air Force Half Marathon 13.1 (1:31.12)

I had bigger goals for the race, and I had hoped to run faster than last years 1:27.28. However, immediately when running, I realized how hot and humid it was, and that time was not going to happen. I know I’m in better shape than 1:31, however, you must race for the day. When the feels like temp are in the high 80s, and the course has no shade, you have to be smart with how you run to make it to the finish line.

Anyway, I’ll have a longer recap, but the shorter recap is I ran around 7-minute pace for the first 10 miles. That is what felt good in the weather and on the course. Around mile 10, I decided to hammer down the last 3 miles and ran 6:50, 6:42, 6:36. The last half of the course is harder than the first, so I know my effort was there. I didn’t warm up or cool down because you walk about 1.5 miles to the actual race start and it’s hard to do a warmup on the base itself (there isn’t a heck of a lot of room…I also just didn’t feel like it).

Around 11-11:30, a black flag was drawn due to heat and weather and many people were bussed off the course, unable to finish because it was dangerous. (Black flags mean the weather is dangerous).

I will say a few things about the race itself, every single aid station had the flag marking (I distinctly remember when it went from yellow to red), and there was EMT or personnel at least every ¼ of a mile. There were plenty of aid stations as well as well. It was just a hot day on a course with no shade.

While I would have liked to be faster at the half, I am proud of how I ran in the weather. You can’t control weather and racing is about running smart. Whether it means racing in the conditions, pacing yourself appropriately, or whatever.

I know what you’re thinking, and the diner was not named after Chobani yogurt! Just kidding. While driving down to Charlottesville, VA last month, I opted to go to Chobani’s Diner and Restaurant in Pennsville, NJ. It’s about 10 minutes from the Delaware Memorial Bridge. I hadn’t heard of Chobani’s until I made a stop at the Salem Oak Diner and saw it on my way. All I thought was, YES another easy stop when going south (either to my hometown of Chesapeake, VA) or just south.

Chobani’s Diner and Restaurant (Pennsville) Atmosphere: B
Chobani’s Diner and Restaurant is a well-maintained diner. When you arrive, there are plenty of booths and tables. They have plenty of desserts and do serve alcohol. When I arrived, I was seated quickly. There weren’t that many people in the restaurant.

Chobani’s Diner and Restaurant (Pennsville) Coffee: B
The coffee was good, but there was nothing unique or unusual. The waitress refilled it once. I could have used more, but it was probably better since I was on the road.

Chobani’s Diner and Restaurant (Pennsville) Food: A
I wasn’t sure what to expect for Chobani’s Diner and Restaurant menu because there isn’t a lot of information online. I wouldn’t be surprised if they had five options to choose from or 10,000. Chobani’s Diner and Restaurant has an extensive menu, and you won’t find anything missing. Chobani’s Diner and Restaurant menu has plenty of breakfast, lunch, and dinner options. There are specials too. There about 15 different salads to choose from if you want a healthier route.

I decided to order a cheesesteak which came with fries and soup. The cheesesteak was massive and had plenty of meat. The french fries were excellent. They weren’t great but not bad either. Even though it was 95 degrees out, my chicken noodle soup was good as well.

In all the food was good, and I would order it again.

Chobani’s Diner and Restaurant (Pennsville) Service: B

The waitress at Chobani’s Diner was extremely nice, but the food took a lot longer to come to out than anticipated. Since there weren’t many people in the restaurant, I expected it to be a little faster. Other than that, the waitress was friendly.

Chobani’s Diner and Restaurant (Pennsville) Cost: $
For my coffee and meal, the cost was $12.

Overall Thoughts/Would I Come Back to Chobani’s Diner and Restaurant (Pennsville)?
I was pleasantly surprised by Chobani’s Diner and Restaurant and liked it a lot. If you’re looking for a quick stop near the Delaware Memorial Bridge, Chobani’s is a good one.

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Last week was spent recovering from the Under Armour 25k, as it should be! As most people know through ole’ Instagram by now, I’ve spent the last 10 days out of my house either traveling to Colorado, seeing family or Virginia, or this weekend going to the Taylor Swift Concert in North Jersey. I won’t lie, it has been one of the best and most fun weeks I’ve had all year. However, my focus hasn’t been running.

This was a great week to have a running down week, since I needed it anyway, after the trail race. I do firmly believe taking both the previous Sunday and Monday off and not doing any workouts (minus the long run), has kept me healthy. I have recovered well from it and so far no issues.

Monday:

Rest

Tuesday:

Easy 30 minutes

Wednesday:

Easy run with my husband/father in law (Charlottesville)

Thursday:

Easy run with my husband/father in law (Charlottesville)

Friday:

Easy 60 min run at my house

Saturday:

Easy 60 minutes at Overpeck Park (North Jersey)

Sunday:

15 miles/7 miles fast finish

Total:

Thoughts:

I always enjoy going to visit my husband’s grandparents in the Charlottesville area. The time there was both relaxed and peaceful. I was lucky to share two runs with my husband and father in law which was nice. I am always thankful I can share runs with a lot of my family (father, father in law, brother, husband).

After Charlottesville, we stayed back in South Jersey and headed to North Jersey for the Taylor Swift concert. It was a great concert, and she performs live well, but I only got 6 hours of sleep into Saturday. I know, not sleeping is a weak point of mine, and I don’t function well without it. Lack of sleep can be a huge trigger for both my anxiety or migraines (not the only one but it can be). Despite not getting much sleep, we ended up running at Overpeck park (where the Irish Festival 5k was last month) and having a good run.

Later in the day, we walked over the George Washington Bridge! I’ve run over several of the NYC Bridges during the marathon but I’ve never walked over the George Washington.